


30 day nagirin challenge

by Princess_andromeda



Series: The Penguin and the Shark [5]
Category: Free!
Genre: 30 day challenge, M/M, and self indulgent, so many aus i dont wanna tag, this was so tiring omg
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-10-19
Updated: 2017-10-26
Packaged: 2019-01-19 09:28:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 24
Words: 12,637
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12407676
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Princess_andromeda/pseuds/Princess_andromeda
Summary: Daily nagirin drabbles crossposted from Tumblr.





	1. First

**Author's Note:**

  * For [moeblobmegane](https://archiveofourown.org/users/moeblobmegane/gifts).



> okay i won't post day 11 and day 13 here because they're already posted in other works, enjoy! prompt chart [here](https://princesandromeda.tumblr.com/post/165869890720/30-day-nagirin-challenge). Also! the warnings are for day 17 (chapter 15), because it's a ghost au, i don't know what else were you expecting.

The first thing he hears is something crashing in the kitchen.

As it only seems like something fell, he only glances in the direction of the crash and voices an “are you okay?” and closes his book. After he receives a small sheepish chuckle as an answer, he sighs and gets up from his seat to check up on his boyfriend.

Nagisa was kneeling on the floor, trying to sweep something that he probably knocked over. Rin stays in the door’s frame. “You okay?” he observes the rest of the place; ingredients discarded on the counter, some mixture in a bowl, a pan on the small stove, and small shards of glass from whatever Nagisa dropped.

HIs boyfriend just shrugs and continues cleaning. “Yeah, I kinda knocked over the vase where we kept the sugar, nothing to worry about.” Nagisa smiles up at him and places the bigger shards in the wastebasket. Rin kneels too to help him, lest he get hurt.

“What were you making, anyway?” none of the ingredients could pop a recipe to his mind, especially since there wasn’t any sugar or strawberries included. He’d figured Nagisa was trying to make some pastries since he loved them so much, but even if there was some flour, there was also some cabbage, tonkatsu sauce and sweet beans. Okonomiyaki?

“Oh, I was thinking that since you always insist on eating healthy -and since you consider my desserts not healthy-, that I could make something balanced!” And maybe he’d sound more convincing if he didn’t have flour all over his face. “I asked Haru-chan a couple of days ago how to make this recipe, and he was helping me how to make it.”

Rin didn’t want to point out how he hadn’t really answered his question, so he just helped him finish cleaning and ruffled his hair once he was done. “Good luck then, if you need anything I’ll still be in the living room, okay?”

“Roger!”


	2. Lessons

When Nagisa suggested they both take lessons on painting, Rin’s reaction was some eye-rolling and a “what for?” (To which Nagisa answered something along the lines of “for Rinrin to stop being a big meanie.”)

Sure, Rin was appreciative of art, but it was no secret that he wasn’t all that good when it came to calligraphy, and he dreaded the thought of what would he do with some coloured ink.

But Nagisa was insisting a lot, saying that “but I wanted to paint some cherry blossoms with you!” and what. the. fuck. It shouldn’t be allowed for manipulation to be that easy, or for him to be so easy to convince!

So here he was, brush in hand, bad mood in queue, and some stains on his skin and clothes with different coloured paint. Besides him, Nagisa was nothing if cheery, making some weird lines, and curves. Observing his attempt at painting, Rin thought that maybe his boyfriend could give it a try at being the next Picasso.

(And that maybe he wasn’t  _that_ bad. He just… needed some practice, is all.)

“Hey, Nagisa,” when his boyfriend looked at him, Rin, out of teasing, passed the brush across his boyfriend’s cheeks and stained it with blue paint, trying to ignore his protests and for the lines to make some sense…

“Rinrin! You big meanie!” He pouted, and once he was done, a grin appeared on his face, and as per the bad feeling in his chest, Nagisa dashed forward and started to paint him too.

On Rin’s canvas, a penguin was paddling on an iceberg and a shark was swimming around to be with him forever.


	3. Imitations

He reluctantly handed over the key, pouting all the more when it was finally out of his reach. “No fair, Rin-chan had said that I could use the key whenever I wanted.” He crossed his arms over his chest, and puffed some air as he looked elsewhere.

“I meant to say that you were allowed to use it,  _for research purposes_ ; swimming in the same tank as the sharks, without the proper equipment, during opening hours, is definitely  _not_  a research purpose.” He was honestly worried, because while he knew that  _technically_ , sharks didn’t eat humans as part of their normal diet, the poor thing could get confused and attack his friend.

“But it  _was_  with a research purpose!” Rin gave him a skeptical glance before pocketing the key.

“Please do elaborate.” This was bound to be interesting.

“I was thinking that, if I managed to imitate some shark behaviour, maybe I’d understand Rinrin better!”

Rin felt his eye tick, both at the comment and at the nickname. “Why you-!” He had the full intention of giving him a noogie, but Nagisa was too quick at dodging and was already near the door by the time he managed to dash forward.

“Okay okay, I’m sorry!” he said half-heartedly, raising his hands in surrender between giggles. “But Rinrin is just like sharks!”

Rin rolled his eyes and tried not to go at him again. “How many times do I have to tell you that the only thing I have, that  _somewhat_  resembles a shark, is my teeth?”

Nagisa leaned against a wall, and still amused, shook his head. “When Rinrin sees something approaching, he gets all defensive, thinking that maybe it’s something that could hurt him or food,” he ignored Rin’s protests about how he would  _never_  commit cannibalism, incidental or whatever, and continued, “and he sometimes hurts people.” This made him cringe a little, reminding him of how much of a jerk he had been. And the hurt looks Nagisa had tried to hide at his callous words.

“I know he doesn’t mean it, though, and therefore, he shouldn’t be blamed.”

Rin made a ‘tch’ sound and tried to keep his angry façade, but when Nagisa’s voice got softer at the end of the sentence, so did his expression.

After many minutes of silence, he dared to speak up again. “Then you are like the penguins you like so much,” he teased, a small grin on the corners of his lips “you paddle and goof around.”

Nagisa smiled again and giggled again, bringing both his hands forward, revealing a small pebble between them. “And build rock nests for the people I love!”


	4. Touch

Nagisa was known for being a very touchy-feely person, so it wasn’t all that surprising to see him hanging from one of his friend’s arms. Nor to see him hugging them.

What was surprising, however, was to see him leaning on Rin’s shoulder at night, when everyone had already gone back to their houses and they were the only ones at the bay.

“What do you want to be when you grow up?” It seemed so clichéd, to ask something like that at a moment like that. The only thing the scenery was missing was some fireworks. Rin chuckled.

“You already know I wanna go pro at swimming.” It was quite a weird question in any situation. But he’d answer it if Nagisa really had doubts about it. “Though I remember thinking as a kid that cops looked cool.” He shrugged and continued looking at the few stars visible, wishing that Iwatobi had more stars to shine. “What about you?”

Nagisa sighed. “I’m still trying to decide. I don’t know if I want to become an astronaut, or maybe an explorer, or an artist, or a penguin caretaker…”

Rin reached out to ruffle his hair, and he didn’t ignore the fluttery feeling in his abdomen, or the pleasant warmth in all his body. “You still have a year to decide that, and if you still don’t know, you can come to Australia with me.” He knew that whatever Nagisa chose, he’d quickly become one of those twinkling stars above them.


	5. Loyalty

Whenever Nagisa bought one of those ‘ _rock-and-hopping_ ’ breads, it always reminded Rin of a lamington, how he was never really fond of them, and probably how Nagisa would enjoy  _Australia’s national cake_.

“W’nt sum?” Nagisa asked, and Rin rolled his eyes, because why would he feel the need to speak with his mouth full?

“You’ve got jelly on your cheek.” He informed him, and reached out his hand to wipe the sweet substance staining his face. When Nagisa shoved the bread closer to his own face, he shook it. “You know I don’t really like sweets.”

Nagisa finally swallowed and prepared himself to protest. “But this isn’t  _any_  sweet! It’s Iwatobi High’s famous ‘ _rock-and-hopping’ bread_! You can’t just miss out on it!” He said it like it was some big tragedy, and Rin rolled his eyes again at the dramatics.

“Sure sure, but just one bite okay?” He leaned towards his friend and opened his mouth, mentally preparing himself for the sugar rush that was bound to come.

“Yay!” He shoved the bread further and let Rin take a bite out of it, he felt accomplished, knowing that his friend was not fond of sweets, but could never stay loyal to his ‘no-sweet’ rule or whatever when  _he_  and only  _he_  was the one asking.

Sure enough, Rin felt the chocolate, and the jelly, and the cream…, all of it sticking to his palate and so sweet… and Nagisa’s grin was even sweeter what. the. fuck.

But for some reason, it didn’t pall on as much as the bread had, and after some ‘too sweet’ for an opinion, he tried not to seem too complacent lest Nagisa ask him for another bite.

Rock-and-hopping bread was good, alright… geez…


	6. Fear

The swimming cap laid on the ground, and the soft crash of the water against the border of the pool was a reminder that someone else was with him. He looked away from his hands and stared at his companion, pink eyes wide in concern.

“You feelin’ okay?” Nagisa asked, Rin had gotten out of the pool so suddenly and it had him worried.

“I was just thinking…” many years and he still had the ability to make him afraid of his stroke. He should probably consider it a feat, even more considering that the little brother aura he carried with himself concealed it very well.

“You look sad,” Nagisa commented off-handedly, pushing his feet from the wall and letting the water carry him behind, he floated a little on that position before swimming back to Rin.

“Do I?”  _Pensive_  seemed more like it to him, but he wasn’t Nagisa, and he supposed that, since Nagisa knew him better than he knew himself, he could trust his judgement on the fact that he did feel sad, to some point.

“Having second thoughts about going to Australia?” Nagisa kept swimming a little bit, deciding the cool water felt nice on his warm skin, and there was still an hour or so before someone could come and scold them.

Rin shook his head. “It’s not that, I already made my decision about going there, never really had a doubt.” Nagisa removed the cap from his head and sunk beneath the water surface, when he got out, at least his hair seemed a little tame.

“It’s not bad thinking that you’ll miss them, you know? What you told me about your doubts and fear back then… I had understood them even before you could voice them out.” Once back on the wall, the cap and swimming goggles on hand, he shrugged. “I saw myself in you, even if your reaction to all the pressure was different than mine.” He knew what feeling pathetic was like. “I’m sorry I couldn’t be there, I had felt so lost after you stopped responding to my letters, when you came back I didn’t know how to approach you again.”

Rin felt a little guilt at his apology, “it’s not your fault.”

Nagisa shrugged again, “but this time, you have all your friends to support you. If you need to, you can reach out. We won’t hesitate to lend you a hand.” This last thing he said with a huge grin, instead of the tentative expression, and Rin felt like he had regained some of the confidence he had back then.

So he did just what Nagisa told him to: he reached out to ruffle his friend’s hair, grinning at the complaints and thanking him for being him.


	7. Letters

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> inspired by [this beautiful thing right here](http://nagirinweek.tumblr.com/post/124924770118/moeblobmegane-nagirinweek-day-4-letters).

Rin stared at the mailbox and at the red flag standing there, telling him that new letters had arrived. Probably a magazine or a bill. Thinking it wouldn’t hurt to check it, and maybe he’d save his host family the bother to go out to check it. So he stretched himself a little in his running clothes, and walked leisurely to the mailbox.

As he had thought, there were a couple of magazines, some bills, and at the bottom was a single, quite thick yellow envelope. Addressed to him. He kinda got the idea from whom it was, but he felt shocked nonetheless when he saw it was a letter from Nagisa. And a smile made its way to his lips when he remembered 10-year-old Nagisa asking his Elementary teacher how to send a letter and have it forwarded to Australia.

Rin entered the house and left the mail on the table, taking Nagisa’s letter to his room and bowing to read it later, after he was back from his morning jog and felt a little more awake.

* * *

A couple of hours later, he sat at the desk in his room, and carefully ripped the envelope. He was met with sloppy hiragana (not too much kanji, which he felt thankful for, as Nagisa knew he wasn’t too fond of literature), choppy katakana and some emojis. He grinned at the sight of them, and began reading.

_Rin-chan! :D_

_Bet you were surprised to see my letter, this time I got your address right and wait for it, because this is just the first of many! ٩(●ᴗ●)۶_

_How are you doing??? Are you still jet-lagged??? Remember what you told me about proper rest and breaks so don’t overwork yourself okay? I’ll know it if Rin-chan’s not having happy thoughts because he hasn’t rested well, eh? (`･ω･´)_

_Things over here are pretty calm, we managed to get some last-minute recruits to save the club (￣▼￣*) so we’re gonna be okay. Rei-chan’s so awkward all the time with being captain and most of the time he resorts to asking Gou-chan for help (please don’t kill him but I think he likes Gou-chan a lot). It’s pretty funny. 〔´∇｀〕_

_You should try coming over some time, I told them your angry spirit haunts the hallways on those who don’t take training seriously and I need a ghost to back me up, think you’re up to it when you come visit? ▼ω▼_

_We all miss you here, please visit soon._

_-Nagisa._

Rin grinned (and tried to ignore the comment about Rei liking his sister, he’d see to that later), and grabbed a pen and a paper sheet from one of the corners of the desk, Trying to think of a reply.

_Dear Nagisa…_


	8. Family

It was no secret that for Rin, one of the most important things in the world was his family. Heck, even his determination on going pro at swimming was some proof of it.

Which is why Nagisa feels all giddy when Rin invites him over for some English tutoring. What if Rin-chan’s mom doesn’t like him? And uh, and yeah. (To be honest, he was only worried about his mom, he already knew Gou-chan  _loved_  him.)

“You’ll be fine; if  _I_  like you, -and you know how much I don’t usually like people-, why wouldn’t my mom, a literal  _angel_ , like you?” says Rin when Nagisa jokes about the whole  _meeting-Rin-chan’s-parent(s)-worst-case-scenario_. He  _really_  tries not to make a big deal out of it, but at the end, Rin, knowing him as he does (even after a couple of years), kinda just… knows what’s eating him.

“If you say so…”

In the end it was alright, he supposes, with Mrs Matsuoka joking about how he likes Nagisa better, Matsuoka women and Nagisa mocking Rin’s teeth, and even a small brawl about who Nagisa liked better (he said it was like choosing between chocolate, vanilla and strawberry “ _I’m strawberry, right Nagisa-kun? Then I win, Onii-chan._ ”)

He kinda sees why Rin loves them so much.


	9. Games

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And a mention of [this](http://moeblobmegane.tumblr.com/post/138351131363/a-thought-to-cheer-me-up-rin-and-sousuke-talking).

“This isn’t a game, you know!” Nagisa just giggled when Rin’s complaining grew louder. Then, he proceeded to move his next piece.

“Funny thing, Rin-chan, last time I checked, Monopoly  _was_  a game.” And when the blue truck arrived in a new country, he just kept gloating further. “Rinrin’s just a sore loser… and I’d like to inform the bank about my next purchase.” He handed the fake bills to a reluctant bank manager. Rin tsked and went on with his duty.

“Armenia is yours, I guess.”

“ _Thank you~,”_ he said in a sing-song voice, placing the small card among the others he had piled up. Rin just hmmed his discontent. “Come on, the loser only has to pay for ice-cream on our next date!”

Rin laid back on the makeshift seat Nagisa’s desk provided. “Who said this was a  _date_?” Nagisa had said it nonchalantly, surely he was just messing around.

“Well,” he moved a hand to his chin, deep in thought, “you take me out to eat, to the movies, you win me arcade prizes—Mizushimashima-kun’s still over there, if you’ve noticed—, everyone already thinks we’re dating!”

And when Nagisa points out that fact, Rin  _absolutely_  does  _not_  remember the weird looks Sousuke gave him after he told him of his usual with-Nagisa activities, or that day when Nitori congratulated and wished him happiness our of the blue when Nagisa visited and brought him sweets (he didn’t want), or how Momo had made a couple of jokes about not knowing that “ _Matsuoka-senpai liked them younger!”._ The only thing he manages to say is a soft, self-conscious “ow,” and then continue to lose on Monopoly.


	10. Outsider POV

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally… the prompt I’ve been waiting for the whole challenge. I’ve managed to keep up thinking I’d get here eventually. :D And of course, because yacchan knows my feelings and how predictable I am, she knows I chose… Yazaki Aki! My absolute favourite outsider pov. Wanna know why? Read this quote:
> 
> _“Aki stared at Rin, who was getting out of the water. She wondered who was racing Rin. He always seemed to be in a hurry. He always looked for something, running around. **Aki wondered how Nagisa felt like, chasing after someone like Rin**.”_
> 
> —High✩Speed!, chapter 5.

Aki had more or less seen it coming.

It had been some time after spring when she saw Nagisa again, running with no apparent destiny, constantly looking back as if being chased. At first, she didn’t notice it, he had grown somewhat bulkier and his face had almost no baby features left to it, but his boundless energy was still the same and his smile just as bright. And so, when the name “Nagisa-kun?!” sprung out of her lips, and fuchsia irises stared back in recognition, she knew that yes, it was the little brother from the swimming club so long ago.

“Aki-chan! Long time no see!” He stopped his running and went by to the girl, looking around, somewhat wary of whatever was in the direction he came from.

“Long time indeed, how have you been, Nagisa-kun?” She set her grocery bags on the ground and let the smile come easily to her face with his aura. Nagisa just laughed somewhat sheepishly, and tried to shrug it off.

“I’m doing fine, I enrolled at Iwatobi High, reunited with Haru-chan and Mako-chan and Rin-chan… met Rei-chan, started a swimming club, started third year…” when the faint scream of  _Nagisa!_  could be heard, his eyes widened and he looked even warier. He took out his phone and opened the contacts section, then reached the pink mobile to his childhood friend. “Add your number, I’ll text you tonight to catch up!”

Aki giggled and, rolling her eyes, inserted her number before giving it back to Nagisa. “You sure look like you’re in a hurry, Nagisa-kun.” She commented once picking up her grocery bags, her friend just chuckled and voiced a goodbye before running in the same direction, with more mischief and energy now.

She tried not to be too surprised when, a couple of seconds later, Rin passed her to chase after Nagisa; she remembered her thoughts on their friendship and reconsidered it for a minute, because it sure looked like Nagisa was giving Rin quite the race.

* * *

Nagisa did text that same night. Something about going to ISC before heading back and remembering his promise to her. Aki assured him it was alright, she had almost forgotten about it but was glad Nagisa-kun remembered it.

They more or less texted the next hour away, Nagisa explained he was running away from Rin because one of his ideas for getting new recruitees (apparently they still haven’t gotten new ones, even after Nanase’s and Tachibana’s graduation), implied using Matsuoka’s little sister’s appeal to attract the younger students.

Aki commented with a giggle that female appeal did not work that way, unless they were dealing with a really malleable first-year…

After having caught up somewhat decently, they started reminiscing about their days in ISC, and Aki, remembering one of his best features, asked if he still had those “eyes that make you want to run away.”

He said that he didn’t know what she was talking about, that it seemed like she was implying he was scary or something, and surely, as a kid, you can’t really be scary. Aki remembered Rin mentioning something to her, about Nagisa’s swimming style and the fear he had with his monster-like gaining speed he does, and she wondered if his clear, innocent eyes from back then had something to do with it.

With promises to keep catching up later, Aki left her phone beside her bed and went to sleep.

* * *

She hadn’t expected an invitation to see Rin off at the airport, the next morning.

Most of her mind told her not to go, she was barely starting college, her homework would pile up and it’d be the same High School disaster, but another, tiny part told her to do it. It had really been so long since the last time she had seen Rin, and couldn’t really wait ‘til he visits to say “long time, eh?”.

So she grabbed the first outfit she could find, brushed her hair, trying to look somewhat presentable, and grabbed her house keys before thinking of calling a cab.

* * *

Surprisingly enough, or at least for Aki, the only one with tears in his eyes was Rin.

Nagisa told her it wasn’t not-normal, per say, after all, “ _Rin-chan’s always been a crybaby!_ ”, and her first three classes are lost to number-exchanging and goodbyes.

* * *

After that, she and Nagisa start hanging out more. Or at least once every two weeks, what with her crazy schedules and odd free hours. But she doesn’t mind that, she’s still really happy just to have him back.

She asks a lot about if Nanase’s still into swimming (“ _oh please, Haru-chan’s like a dolphin, Mako-chan has to get him out of the tub in the mornings!_ ”), or if Tachibana’s little siblings are fine (“ _yes! They love their brother a lot and were pretty upset about him leaving._ ”), or just who Rei is (“ _the sappiest dork you’ll ever meet! …no wait, he’s kinda fighting Rin-chan for the title._ ”).

She completely does not mind how some of their topics wander back to Rin, as she quite enjoys talking about the boy who helped Nanase look a little less lonely.

* * *

Eventually, weeks turn into months and one day, someone’s knocking on Aki’s house. Decided to not keep whoever it is waiting, she answers the door and is received by Nagisa and a small package on his hands. He gave her a huge smile and lifted the package a little.

“Rinrin sent this with this month’s letter,” she tries not to read too much into the nickname, and rather focuses on the message itself.

“Letters? So you’re like, pen pals?” She lets Nagisa into her house, hoping it isn’t too packed or dirty and looks at the things Rin sent curiously.

Nagisa chuckles. “Yeah, I told you. It started when we were kids, and I had gotten his address wrong. Rin-chan’s mom forwarded them for me and one day, a reply came.” He shrugged, finding the story not that interesting. “Anyway, I kinda mentioned hanging out with you a lot, and he said he got you some souvenirs from Australia!”

“Aren’t letter a little old-fashioned, though?” She didn’t mean to sound rude, she was genuinely curious. Nagisa chuckled again and began opening the package.

“It’s a special thing between Rinrin and me; he’s romantic and stuff, so even if he says it’s boring compared to social media, I know he likes it.”

* * *

She had more or less seen it coming; from the excited talks, the inner jokes, and the relieved look when Rin finally came to visit a year later.

Nagisa was completely  _smitten_  with Rin. But there was still no indication if the feeling was mutual whatsoever.

Sure, he returned the affectionate gestures, but more like you would a little brother. And somehow,  _somewhat_ , Aki took it upon herself to find out.

* * *

She didn’t do much research, per say, but she did follow Nagisa’s doings when he decided (rather recklessly, according to most people) to just go with Rin to Australia and apply for the Zoology major.

He got accepted.

* * *

Years passed, Nagisa sent constant messages asking how she was doing, how Rei-chan and Gou-chan were doing (“ _he’s doing good with his mid-terms and Gou seems to be doing pretty fine too._ ”), telling her how many cute penguins he got the chance to pet that day, how many milliseconds lower was Rin’s record, and how they were probably planning to visit.

* * *

It’s three am and her phone is ringing, she tries not to feel a little annoyed with whoever hindered her sleep and grabs her mobile, a sleepy “yeah?” passes her lips and she hears Nagisa being a little anxious.

“ _Rin-chan just **kissed**  me!_”, and probably she should be more worried about her friend, but she really isn’t because she had seen it coming long ago.

“Isn’t that like, a good thing?” She rolls onto her side and tries to go back to sleep. “Also, I think you’d better ask Gou since she’s his sister and all. Sleep well, Nagisa,”

* * *

The next development she hears of their relationship, almost three years later, they’re both wearing silver bands on their fingers. And Aki couldn’t be happier for them.


	11. Astronaut Nagisa / Cop Rin AU

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 11's [here](http://archiveofourown.org/works/9525773/chapters/28013370), and the prompt was "Canon Divergence". This is chapter 12.

“Astronaut, you say?” Rin smiled to himself, letting his phone rest on his shoulder as he kept doing his homework. It was a normal Wednesday night, and Nagisa had decided to call him to inform him of his career choice.

“Yeah! That way, if I go to outer space, I’ll be able to bring Rin-chan a star as a souvenir!” if it had been anyone else saying that, it would have sounded ridiculous, but Nagisa’s words always sounded so sincere and excited…

“You  _do_  know that stars are big, gas balls and that you’d probably burn first before catching one, right?” He leaned back in his chair and stared at the ceiling, actually picturing Nagisa trying to grab that light-y thingy.

“Well, then I’ll bring Rinrin one and also an alien to prove him wrong!”

Rin rolled his eyes good-naturedly, and closed his book. It was near midnight already, and he was getting a little sleepy. “Sure you will, Nagisa…”

* * *

Rin stared at the address written on a post-it note, verifying he had gotten it right. And once he was sure of it, he entered the big building.

Recently, Nagisa had gone on a research mission and after a year of being in outer space (he actually  _had_  become an astronaut, not that Rin didn’t believe in him), and when he came back, he called Rin and told him to visit him at the headquarters.

He arrived at reception and the lady in the computer eyed him curiously. “I’m Matsuoka Rin, I came to visit cadet Hazuki because he asked me to,” he explained, and the secretary just looked the slightest suspicious before nodding and going back to typing.

“Go down the hallway and the fourth door to the right; he’s spending time with the experiments as he does every day around this hour.” Rin thanked her and did as was told.

The place seemed very bare, with only some pictures of the mission hanging on the wall, the light-yellow colour, the metal doors and the white ceiling. Rin wondered if Nagisa had the urge to decorate it at times.

He arrived at the fourth door, and knocked. Once a “ _come in!”_  was heard, he sighed and opened the door.

Nagisa was sitting on the floor, giggling and playing with a couple of…  _blobs_? in his lap. He eyed his visitor and he became more excited.

“I told you I’d bring you aliens, Rinrin!”

The pink one with the heart-shaped eye immediately approached Rin, and he, trying not to let his irritation show, picked it up. It was cute, he admitted, and with another reluctant sigh, he sat down beside his friend and played with the alien blobs.

“Welcome back, Nagisa.”


	12. Merman AU

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is chapter 14, chapter 13's [here](http://archiveofourown.org/works/12330858). The prompt was "Soulmates AU". This is just a snippet of the original chapter, since it was getting waaaay too long.

“Try to relax.” Nagisa shook his head, eyes wide shut and so tense Rin could start to see creases on his face. It was ridiculous, really, it wasn’t as if he would let the kid drown, did he not trust him that much? Gee, thanks for the confidence. “Nagisa, if you keep trembling you won’t be able to float, and trust me, that’ll be worse for you.”

Nagisa breathed out shakily and tried to relax, focusing instead on how funny Rin-chan’s hands felt on his back, the scales so slippery and when he didn’t start to sink, he knew his grip was hard enough. “Done!” He exclaimed like he usually did when the teacher left them to do exercises, and she told them to raise their hand when they were done.

“Okay, I’ll let go. Please don’t panic, and remember I’ll be nearby to help you.” Nagisa nodded and tried to remind himself that, if Rin-chan was there, he could do it.

He wished they had learned another kind of stroke first, if they had, he would have seen Rin’s real pretty fin instead of the boring blue sky.

* * *

“Why did you come to the surface?” Nagisa was really curious, he had heard from Rin-chan that his grandmother told him he was forbidden from going until he turned 15, so what prompted him to break that rule since he clearly loved her?

Rin shrugged, and stared off into the horizon. He thought the orange hue was really pretty, and hushed the voice that told him it’s the colour you get when you mix yellow and red. “That day I wasn’t feeling too good,” he excused himself. “My dad had died and I kinda… swam off. He had said the surface was one of the most beautiful places, and I wanted to see for myself.”

Nagisa nodded, trying to understand what it would feel like to live without one of his parents. “And why did you keep coming back?” He was also aware that being on the surface for too long could affect him negatively.

Rin shrugged again and purposely avoided Nagisa’s gaze, he wanted to say “to see you” but it would sound wrong and if he saw his friend’s eyes he’d feel even more embarrassed and stuff. “I just… my dad was right. It is really pretty here.”

And it was.


	13. University AU

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Friendly reminder that this is chapter 15.
> 
> ~~what do you mean i haven’t done this already…? oh, wait. including it is a different thing.~~
> 
> ~~well, let’s do[this](http://papalogia.tumblr.com/post/161224889381/uni-prompts-because-why-not).~~

“Sorry!” Rin had no time to process what was happening until he saw droplets of coffee dripping everywhere. He could only gape as some random stranger grabbed his coffee cup and started stabbing it with a pen.

“What are you doing?!” He was pissed. A lot. He hadn’t had anything for breakfast and had stayed until early morning doing an assignment, and someone. just. stole his coffee? What the fuck.

“I swear I’ll pay for another one!” the random guy ignored his glare and kept scribbling on the squeaky cup. “I just really need to finish this!” he also seemed to not mind the fact that his hand was stinging from the spilt coffee and didn’t that hurt even a bit?

So Rin kept gaping and worrying for some random guy who kept scribbling and didn’t really talk… and finally, he was  _done_  doing whatever the fuck that was.

“Heh, really sorry about that.” The guy apologized and leaned back in the seat in front of him, sighing and smiling. Then he stared at his hands and seemed to finally noticed they were a little red from the burn. “My name’s Nagisa! Hazuki Nagisa! I’d offer you to shake my hand but I doubt you’d like to feel icky too.”

“What the fuck was that?” Rin questioned, he wouldn’t actually mind the ‘icky’ part as he was far more interested at the moment in getting his answer and his coffee.

The guy gave an awkward laugh and rubbed his neck, sheepish. “That was um, my physics homework.”

Rin leaned over to see what was written in the cup, and sure enough, some equations were written in pink ink. He frowned on it and showed a specific part of it to  _Nagisa_. “The last subtraction is wrong, check it.”

_Nagisa_  just deflated over it and did as was told. “I never said I was  _good_  at it.” he excused himself, “are you majoring in maths or something?” Rin shook his head.

“English lit, and you?” Not like he was  _interested_ , or anything, it just happens that he needs a small break from all the essays and the late-night trainings and staying in the coffee shop for a couple of minutes won’t kill him, okay?

“Physics, hence my homework.” he shrugged and nodded to a waiter to help clean and get a new order for grumpy English Lit.

“You want to major in physics and yet you fail at a subtraction?” He wanted to laugh.

“Hey! I only failed because it was a  _really_  long problem, okay?’

“Which made the whole thing wrong.”

* * *

And he might have spent too much talking with that random guy at the café because, when he looked at his phone’s clock, he realized he was already late.

“Shit, I’m late to next period.”

Nagisa perked form his seat, and called for him. “Wait! I don’t know your name. Whose name will the order be for?”

Rin just grinned and tilted his head. “Matsuoka Rin, I’m in the swimming club in the evenings.”

And he tried to ignore the fact that it sounded like a date.


	14. Coffee shop AU

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Friendly reminder that this is chapter 16.

“Welcome to Little Nap! What can I offer you?” Rin looked at the guy on the counter, and the fact that no one else was there. No workers, no other clients, just him and some guy with blond hair, wide, pink eyes and a cheerful smile.

He found it weird; at every other café he had been, it had been really crowded. Especially with university students and businessmen. And the place seemed so silent and desolate with only the espresso machine to accompany the cashier.

He had come to this places hoping to have a nice conversation. Makoto had told him about it sometime after he had moved, and since he didn’t want to bother his friends with all his unnecessary drama, and he frankly felt uncomfortable with the idea of going to a formal psychologist, he settled for the second best thing.

“Um, yeah.” He looked at the different types of coffee they were offering, and after noticing he didn’t really recognize most of them, he just said: “mocha, please.” Not sweet, but not too bitter.

“Mocha coming!” the cashier announced gleefully and set the machines to work. “Do you also want a dessert to eat? They’re on the house.”

Rin shook his head, rejecting the offer as gentle as he could. “Maybe some other time.” He didn’t want to tell him he wasn’t fond of sweets.

“Ok, sure thing.” It was silent for a few more seconds before the guy spoke again. “So what did you come to talk about?”

Rin’s eyes widened, because, while he had actually come to talk about his teenage angst, he hadn’t expected for the guy to say it so bluntly.

And because his customer didn’t answer, the cashier kept going. “Got dumped? Got a really nice score on that one math test? Stressed because of middle terms?”

Rin started wondering if telling his childhood story to a complete stranger was a good idea, but he needed to start with something. “Didn’t make it to the swimming nationals.”

The cashier seemed to notice something. “Oh. You must be that ‘shark-boy’ Haru-chan was talking about…”

 _Haru-chan?!_  “Wait, you know Haruka?” then, “and why is the first thing people always notice about me my teeth?”

The cashier mumbled something under his breath about ‘anger-management issues’ and grabbed a cloth to scrub the counter with, then answered his questions.

“Of course I know Haru-chan. He comes here once in a while when Mako-chan is too much for him, he says he likes the quiet here.” he grabbed a cookie from a tray and nibbled on it, and Rin would have  _grinned_  at the sight had he not been pissed with the guy. “And I can’t say anything more than,  _have you noticed that they’re really shark-like_? Because that’d explain a lot.” He shrugged and kept eating the cookie.

“Shut it.” The cashier shrugged,  _again_ , and started writing something down.

“Can I at least get a name for the order?”

Rin rolled his eyes. “Matsuoka Rin, and you?” He supposed he needed a name unless he wanted to keep calling him ‘ _you’._

“Hazuki Nagisa, at your service.”


	15. Supernatural beings AU

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ok so i had promised @moeblobmegane that i would write a fanfic based on her [ghost au prompts](http://moeblobmegane.tumblr.com/post/146303249468/ghost-aus), i had lots of scenes already written in my phone but for some reason i could never get over the first chapter. this is really self-indulgent orz and more sad than it was supposed to be originally.

“What are you doing?” Rin had already resigned himself to the fact that he wouldn’t be able to scare Nagisa off, so he might as well entertain himself and his really long-term stay in the limbo.

“Studying.” Nagisa answered, tapping the pencil to his chin and comparing the notes he had made during the lecture with the ones he made out of the book, “middle-terms start next week and I need to keep my grades up if I want to do something for myself.”

Rin just leaned into the wall behind him and suddenly he was staring into the concrete. He had been a college student too, at some point, but it had been so long ago he kinda just forgot what the stress of finals week was like. Or the rest of his life for that matter. “What subject are you studying for?” He remembered being good at maths and English, so he could help him out, though if the kid was studying for Ancient Japanese or the sorts, he was utterly doomed.

“Trigonometry,” he started scribbling something on his notepad. “Apparently my parents wanted me to become a history book writer or something, ‘ _oh Nagisa, you have such a knack for history, don’t you think it’d be better than your space nonsense?’_.” He shrugged, and placed his stuff aside, rubbing his eyes as if the effort had him exhausted. “And I mean, sure, it was fun, and excitig, knowing the reasons for many things happening right now, but I liked it better as a  _hobby_.

“And one day I saw the stars. We had gone on a family trip to the countryside, and it was so clear. There were so many stars, and the sky looked so close to us I thought that, maybe, if I reached far enough, I’d be able to grab one of them and keep it.” Rin sat up and kept staring at Nagisa, at lost as to what to do. He was only used to cheery Nagisa, after all, and seeing him with anything but a smile was a foreign thing for him.

And then he was smiling again, but the smile didn’t quite reach his eyes, which made it look more like a grimace than anything else. Rin wondered for a moment if smiling was becoming a strenuous, painful activity for Nagisa to fulfil.

“When I told mom and dad I wanted to become an astronaut, they said ‘ _what for? They don’t bring any useful knowledge, and you know how hard it is to get into any station to go on missions, so why do it?_ ’, and I was _so_  angry I failed the history test next week on purpose.” He chuckled, “then  _they_  got angry, and banned me from going to Haru-chan’s for a month.

“Long story short; I moved out when I received a letter from college saying I got accepted, and kinda am here with you.”

Rin didn’t know what to say to cheer him up, so he just hummed and stared at Nagisa’s notes. He grinned slightly. “Well, for not liking maths, you sure are good for them.” Nagisa just laughed.

“Ironically enough, they were my worst subject at school along with English!”

“Why do people not like English? It’s incredibly easy!” Nagisa kept laughing, feeling all the stress from that week fade away.

“Yeah, easy for you to say!” And Rin felt accomplished at Nagisa’s joy.

“Don’t stress yourself about it, you’re doing the right thing. I mean, I had wanted to become a pro swimmer because my dad couldn’t, and that kinda was what got me killed,” he meant it as another joke to cheer the other, but when he saw the serious expression, he frowned. “What?”

“You told me you didn’t remember how you died.” He wasn’t accusing him, nor did he seem mad, just… confused.

And Rin tried to make out that confusion, what? He had said that… he… didn’t remember. And now his expression matched Nagisa’s. “I… I didn’t?” He kept staring at Nagisa, and suddenly he could see it again: moving in with Sousuke (wow, it had been a while since he remembered him, what a good childhood friend he was, eh? Forgetting his almost brother just because he  _died_ ), being alone that night, someone sneaking in, and god, it had hurt so much, the sick fuck had taken his godamn time killing him.

He had moved to that house because it was cheap and because there was a good training centre nearby, and apparently, the guy had been stalking him or some shit, and just…  _why_?!

“Rin-chan! You’re bleeding!” Rin looked down at his body, and he saw all the blood, dripping everywhere, and goddammit, please tell him he wasn’t sobbing, he didn’t just… his sight was obstructed by the lack of blood, not because his eyes were covered in tears or anything.

“It’s okay.” He looked up from the gashes, his almost-ripped limbs, and his memories to stare back at Nagisa. “It’s okay now.” He repeated, and why was he still smiling? Didn’t he… feel sickened? Shouldn’t he… run away because of his weakness? He didn’t understand a damn thing. Even Nagisa’s trigonometry homework made a lot more sense than this.

“You’re here, you’re with me. Breathe with me, Rin-chan.  _In…. and out_.” And it sounded so soothing, like his mother’s voice when he was little.

So he just…. breathed. Ing, out. In, out. In, out.

And suddenly it didn’t hurt anymore.

* * *

“Thanks.” He said after long minutes of silence. Nagisa shook his head.

“No prob, it’s not every day you see a ghost have a panic attack,” he chuckled slightly, and Rin identified it as a coping mechanism, but he wasn’t about to point it out. That ugly flashback had taken a lot of energy, and considering he depended on Nagisa’s energy anyway, and it was still a little fuzzy and he didn’t want to think for a while. “You seemed in a lot of pain, though. I’m sorry, for whatever you saw.”

This time, Rin shook his head. “It was not your fault, at any rate. It happened so long ago, I forgot everything after I died. I don’t know how I feel about recovering my memories or what it means.”

Nagisa smiled, and leaned in to hug him. “Whatever it means, I’ll be with you to face it.”


	16. Superpowers AU

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so this was kinda prompted by a talk i had with @moeblobmegane, about me being a grim reaper, lmao, and i was kinda doubting if to post this yesterday, but found that it could fit here too! (i think). i’ll probably make another au slowburn of this.

He had first noticed when he was five.

There was a small butterfly on a tree branch, trapped and trying so desperately to fly he just felt pity for it.

He had approached the little insect and set it free. But their wing was damaged, so he knew it wasn’t very likely it would be able to fly again. So he just caressed it and hushed, saying it was alright, that next time, it would surely bloom into something prettier.

He didn’t say anything when the butterfly went limp. He just set it aside on a flower, where the ants wouldn’t eat it.

* * *

One time, on a family vacation, he had been on the beach at twilight. He had gone because he felt like swimming away from his family because only being on the shore was pretty boring.He panicked instantly when he started to drown.

He had felt the water entering into his lungs and he was pretty sure he was done for. Until he felt a hand grip his hair and pull him up. It had been a mere coincidence his father had found him, because he thought the rest of his family was in the hotel room chilling.

He didn’t give much thought to the fact that he had escaped death by a really thin margin.

* * *

And after he almost drowned in a pool, his father decided he needed swimming lessons.

* * *

When he met Rin he had just known the kid lost someone really important.

And he absolutely didn’t stare up once in a while to stare at his father’s ghost looming over him, like a guardian angel.

Because he knew how sad he was over it, he had tried befriending Rin-chan.

Toraichi just smiled and told him to keep the secret.

* * *

He had known from the look of his eyes when Mako-chan’s golden fishes died.

Or when Haru-chan’s grandma passed away.

And he couldn’t tell them he was sorry about their losses until they personally spoke to him about it.

* * *

When Rin and Haruka had almost dived into an empty pool, he couldn’t feel relieved enough that they hadn’t. He could  _rush_  death, not  _prevent_  it. And he would feel damned if he made two of his dear friends rush death. They were too young yet.

* * *

When Rei had so recklessly swum into the sea, in the middle of a thunderstorm, he had been cursing under his breath the whole time. He could understand the feeling of not wanting to be left behind, but couldn’t Rei think that pulling a stunt like that was dangerous?

And so, when he managed to save him, he was trembling so much from the shock he didn’t notice the small glow in his hands.

He had done it. He had helped someone else than himself avoid death.

* * *

When he received notice of Rin being in the hospital, he had run so quickly he didn’t notice until he was at his bedside.

He was covered in bruises from head to toe, and was plugged into many machines and Nagisa wanted to cry at the sight of his boyfriend.

He had been told his brain activity was close to zero, and that if he didn’t start responding soon they would unplug him. He walked closer to his bed, trying his best not to hurt him.

And when his line started going flat, he panicked again, and the first thing that came to his mind was grabbing his hand and holding it tight, he couldn’t endure this.

“You can do it, Rin-chan!”

Surely the saving-lives thing could be done a second time, right? Right?

The nurses had already entered, and were trying to convince Nagisa that getting out was the safest of him.

None of them noticed the light going out from Nagisa’s hand and into Rin’s body, and when all of it had been drained, the beeping from the machine could be heard again. He breathed in relief and thanked whoever it was for letting him live.

* * *

He didn’t see anything of his powers ever again. And he was happy that way. Rin-chan was still alive and that’s all that had mattered.


	17. Harry Potter AU

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is another au i’ve gushed to @moeblobmegane a lot about, pretty much since i started messaging her??? (beware because the conversation screenshots are really big) so this one really has a lot of feeling to it. i originally had like three chapters written already in a notebook, but when i looked for it a couple of days ago i couldn’t find it, and it made me so sad??? because i even had a summary and the scene it was from and aaaaahhhhhh. i’ll have to rewrite this from scratch. shoganai…

* * *

 

“So you’re saying you want me to coach you?”

Rin couldn’t believe it. First Haruka didn’t want to join the Ravenclaw Quidditch team despite being one of the best seekers, because he didn’t want to compete he just wanted to “ _feel the wind ruffle his robes_ ” or whatever, and then this  _kid_  comes in and tells him to become his tutor or something?  _Seriously_?

“Well, I know that I can’t go to seeker try-outs right now because I’m a first year and all that, but, you know, practising some before would come in handy! Especially since you’re one of the best seekers in the whole century! Or so McGonagall told us…” He answered sheepishly, “she also told us that you could do any position! And it was so awesome!”

Rin didn’t want to acknowledge that the flattery was kinda working, but he couldn’t help the small smile that made its way to his face from all the compliments. Had professor McGonagall really said that about him? Wow, geez…

“I still don’t know why I should help you, you do know that my schedule is pretty tight as it is, right?” He didn’t mean to be a  _meanie_ , as Nagisa had so graciously called him earlier, but maybe he could have found another time when he was more rational about this stuff? Or maybe look for someone else to train him? And god, he had homework to do in his common room, and he just wanted to tell this guy that, and excuse you…

“You don’t really have to,” the Hufflepuff shrugged, “I heard second year is way harder than first, after all, what with getting new subjects and Quidditch try-outs,” he turned away, facing the breeze that started to blow softly.

“Do you believe penguins can fly?”

“Heh?” Rin wanted to ask whatever that had to do with Quidditch try-outs and tight schedules, but before he could voice his annoyance further, Nagisa asked him again.

“ _Do you believe penguins can fly?_ ”

“Of course not.” The question itself was stupid, even if penguins and ostriches were technically birds, they weren’t made to fly, so unless they had some sort of evolutive… evolution, they wouldn’t be able to fly. “Their bones are more solid than a normal bird’s, and their flipper’s feathers aren’t really made to support that much weight.”

Nagisa didn’t seem fazed by the fact that he had memorized so many facts about penguins, even more considering they probably didn’t teach those sort of things in Hogwarts, he just focused instead on continuing his pep-talk.

“I was told that so many times in the muggle world,” he shrugged again, and propped himself on the ground, not caring for the dirt sticking to his robe or from the thump that his buttocks suffered. “But  _here_ , here magic exists!” He patted the space next to him, and reluctantly, Rin sat beside him, more mindful of not just  _falling_  like he had done. “And I thought, that maybe, since this place is magical, penguins could fly too.

“I didn’t ask for Matsuoka-kun’s help to train because of  Professor McGonagall's compliments, but because of a couple of days ago, I went to that tree over there” he pointed to the Pinetree and kept smiling “I was feeling really down because I hadn’t managed anything on flying classes. And then I saw Matsuoka-kun, soaring across the sky like he was just  _meant_  to be there!” He got up so abruptly it almost made Rin dizzy, even more when he started spinning and running around a little. “I thought that, maybe if I got some help from someone who knows how to seek as good as you do, penguins could finally learn how to fly.”

Rin still didn’t know why flying penguins were the outcome of his training, “but you said I was a meanie.” He was pretty conscious of the reputation his house had, and on a very deep level, he didn’t want someone as cheerful as Nagisa to get bullied for hanging out with a “Death-Eater-in-training”.

Nagisa chuckled, “you might be a meanie, but you’re not heartless. Otherwise, your flying wouldn’t be so beautiful.”

And Rin wanted to believe in him.

“Fine, I agree or whatever.” He sighed and got back up, resigning himself that he would be stuck with this kid for a long time. “But remember to renew your translation spell, if you had asked any other student—maybe even some of the teachers—they would have thought you were speaking in Chinese and ignored you.”

Nagisa’s eyes widened and he took out his wand, alarmed. He re-applied the spell, trying to apologize somewhat. “All better, Matsuoka-kun.”

“Call me Rin.”

* * *

“Rinrin!”

“How many times will I ask you  _not_  to call me that?”

* * *

 


	18. Fairytale AU

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> for the record, it’s still day 20 for me. i had zero inspiration for this, please excuse me if it’s shitty. maybe one day i'll write a longer version of this.

“Stop right there,” Nagisa froze in his place, hands cupping a little bit of water from the lake and face centimetres from it. He dropped the water and turned back, hands high as not to pose threat and curious look on his face. “How exactly did you manage to trespass? Usually, humans die in less than a minute,”

Nagisa just shrugged and stared at… whoever he was staring at. “I’m lucky, I guess.” The guy who was scolding him was a little taller than him, dressed in nature and hair a brilliant red. His eyes just as fiery, if not more.

The guy raised an eyebrow in incredulity and walked closer. “What  _are_  you?” Nagisa didn’t really understand what was the big deal, he had just seen a cute animal cross the border to the forest and followed them.

“A… farmer?” He tried, it was the closest he could get at the moment, though he supposed that it wasn’t enough.

The guy just approached him more and analyzed him, “you’re not human.” He declared. “But your physical trait does not say what kind of breed you come from, nor does your scent or presence.”

He tried not to feel frustrated, but for some unidentifiable being to just enter his Sacred Lake, someone who may harm the fishes in there and  _drink_  like it was a normal, human lake… it was incredibly infuriating.

“Come with me, you’re under my watch now.” Nagisa blinked and then looked a little annoyed by the fact that  _this guy_  was making choices.

“Wait! I don’t even know who you are!”

The guy just sighed as if it was not important at all. “Matsuoka Rin, now come, we need to find out what you are.”


	19. Flowershop AU

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> again i’m sorry if this looks shitty, i’m not at my best right now and can’t really concentrate on writing. ;;

It’s one of his sister’s birthday, and he knows his mother will eat him alive if he doesn’t at least give her something pretty; he knows it’s pretty clichéd, but it’s really the only thing he can think of at the moment that won’t be that expensive and that his sister will probably like. (Not like he  _hates_  her, per say, let’s just say he hasn’t been in perfect terms with anyone for the past year.)

“Welcome, anything I can help you with?” he doesn’t notice the voice at first because the atmosphere is so calming, and when he does, his vision is attacked with bright yellows and  _so. much. pink_. He tries not to wince at the sight of, who he assumes is, the shop owner.

Rin stops staring at the Magnolias and decides, instead, trying to think of anything specifical he wants to give his sister. “Do you have anything for birthdays?”

The guy hums for a moment before nodding, and walking towards some of the pots on the far end. He ends up picking some cornflowers, lilies, and other flowers Rin can’t really recognize. He then went back to him and handed the bouquet for inspection. “Their birthday is in May, right? All these are May flowers, and… they’re for a girl, right?”

Rin tries not to be annoyed, either at himself for not specifying that it wasn’t a  _girl_ , or at the owner for just  _assuming_  he had a date. He hummed in agreement and thought the arrangement didn’t look as bad, in retrospection. The guy makes signs for him to go the cashier, so he can pay and all that.

The florist tied the bouquet with a red lace, making cute ribbons and wrapping it in penguin-decorated plastic, then told Rin the amount of it.

“Hang on a sec!” Rin turned back and frowned when the owner returned to the post and grabbed a white flower, with lots of thin stems in the centre. He frowned even further when the owner handed the small flower to them. “You seemed pretty tense, so I thought maybe a Christmas Rose would cheer you up!”

“…Thanks…” he read the nametag on his uniform, “…Nagisa?” He tried, it had been truly so long since he had read anything but English, and it wasn’t really that common of a kanji, so he only hoped for the best.

“Completely at your service!”

And maybe he felt a little something warm in his chest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A Christmas Rose loos a little something like [this](https://www.google.com.mx/search?q=rose+christmas&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiOi9mMrP7WAhXM5CYKHbrnAjcQ_AUICigB&biw=1366&bih=662#imgrc=kd7z_I2leWmX7M:), and according to [this](http://thelanguageofflowers.com/) site, it means “Tranquilize My Anxiety”; all the May flowers are enlisted [here](http://www.flowermeaning.com/may-birth-flower/), and if I were Rin, I would have bought her an Orchid Cymbidium, since they’re May flowers and really pretty, or a Lilium Stargazer.


	20. Royalty AU

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> well, I did say I’d write an AU based on [this](https://princesandromeda.tumblr.com/post/157208539165/ok-so-i-was-in-the-bus-the-other-day-thinking) prompt, and I guess this was just the perfect opportunity to do so. i hope this counts orz.

Back straight and brush set firmly against the table, Nagisa let it slide across the paper, trying to think just what exactly he wanted to draw. It was too late to so sumie(1), it would have required a lot less ink to do and a one across the page could only make so many kanjis… guess he’d have to settle for spring.

Keeping the brush in place, and doing it as fast as he could, he decided to go for shousho(2) this time. Once he was done, he removed the  _bunchin_  and looked up just in time to receive his unexpected guest. Nagisa grinned and relaxed his posture.

“How do you always manage to fool the guards?” Not like he minded, Rin’s visits were always welcomed, but he was supposed to have the best men in the area to guard his door! “Come, sit, I was thinking of drawing you.”

Rin sat in front of him, and frowned. “Don’t you have like royal artists or something? I bet drawing people is exhausting.” Nagisa just shrugged and dipped the brush into the  _suzuri,_  already thinking of how to draw his best friend.

“I do, but it’s more fun to do it yourself.” He grabbed another paper page and placed the  _bunchin_  on top of it, and he drew his most prominent features: his hair, now tied in a ponytail, his armour, his serious expression… and most of all, he paid special attention to draw his teeth.

“Why do you always exaggerate on the size of my teeth? I already told you they’re not  _that_  big,” he didn’t complain about the rest, though; he had to admit Nagisa had gotten a lot better at sumie compared to how he began. He remembered how many tutors his father had to hire because his son just  _sucked_  at artsy things.

“You take the fun out of it!” He pouted, and instantly brightened up when someone entered, bringing tea and sweets. “Thank you,” he told the servant and grabbed the treat closest to him, feeling his mouth happy on the sugary flavour. “Want some? Sweet bean sure is the best…”

Rin shook his head and grinned. “No thanks, better lean and good than fat and evil(3),” Nagisa pouted again and gulped the sweet.

“You know my Chinese isn’t that good, don’t be a meanie.” He sat beside his friend and started rubbing his head against the armoured shoulder.

Rin scoffed. “Hey, it’s not my fault you always fell asleep when the scholar came to teach you, and also, don’t you have administration duties or something?”

Nagisa sat back and shrugged. “Nah, I finished those yesterday evening, so I have to wait until the emperor replies to them before doing anything else.

“And since we’re talking about China, how are they faring against their enemy? How were they called again? Engand…?”

Rin grimaced. “ _England,_  and not so good.” He grabbed the cup of tea and sipped it. “They’re losing, by a very large frame. Even more so now that France and America joined.”

“I see,” Nagisa kept munching on his treat

“I heard the emperor was planning on attacking China too.” Nagisa nodded.

“Yeah, I also heard the rumours.”

Rin didn’t want to stay in such a tense atmosphere, so he got up from the small cushion and reached his hand to Nagisa. “Do you want to sneak out to the gardens and stare at the koi?”

Nagisa giggled and grabbed his hand. “Only if it’s with love.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (1) _Sumie_ is a form of art consisting of drawings made from Chinese ink, I’ve gone to a couple of classes to make them, and generally, they take a lot less ink to add shadows and the sorts. (Also I’m pretty sure they were made from a different ink?) They’re pretty cool and look something like [this](https://www.google.com.mx/search?biw=1366&bih=662&tbm=isch&sa=1&q=%E5%A2%A8%E7%B5%B5&oq=%E5%A2%A8%E7%B5%B5&gs_l=psy-ab.12..0i30k1l10.2336.27676.0.32401.9.8.1.0.0.0.196.1012.0j6.7.0....0...1.1j4.64.psy-ab..1.7.1024.0..0j0i4k1.159.c5_HkbAsvSI).
> 
> (2) In Japanese calligraphy, there are different styles, the ones I learned were _kaisho_ (the “normal” one), _gyosho_ (it’s a little more freestyled and, the weirder your writing looks on this one, the cooler it is), and _sousho_ (the one closes to original Chinese drawings from long ago). The basic instruments for Calligraphy are a brush (fube), inkstick (sumi) that you brush against an inkstone (suzuri) and add water to make ink, a paperweight (bunchin) so that the paper won’t stick to the brush (it’s happened to me) and a cloth underneath to not dirty your workplace.
> 
> (3) It's a Chinese proverb.
> 
> This is the closest I could bring to historical accuracy, the war they’re talking about is the _Opium Wars_ , which was in the 1940′s, a couple of years before the beginning of the _Meiji Era_ , so daimyos (what Nagisa is), Samurais and Ninjas (what Rin is) still existed. Chinese culture wasn’t as _popular_ back then (it had a huge downfall after _Heian Era_ ended), so Nagisa worrying about his calligraphy and Rin learning lots of Chinese proverbs don’t make a lot of sense, but let’s ignore that. *-*
> 
>  **EDIT:** I just realized I wrote “1940’s” instrad of “1840’s”, I’m sorry if I confused anyone.


	21. Other Sports AU

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kudos to @gemini-in-tauro for helping me find a sport. <3

“Brr, it’s so cold up here!”

Rin looked at the person beside him and frowned when he saw they were trembling, it wasn’t like that statement was false, quite contrary, since they were in the Alps, but hadn’t he come with the appropriate equipment?

“Then why’d you come to ski?” He hadn’t meant to sound rude, but if that guy was also a professional skier, then he shouldn’t complain that much. (Beware of frostbite, though).

The guy, whose pink eyes were still visible and clear through his glasses, just grinned and embraced himself for warmth. “It looked fun, my sisters said I wouldn’t be able to, and my parents forbade me to!” Rin frowned even more at the nonchalant way he had said the last two sentences; though he could understand the superation part, doing something just to oppose to your parent seemed a little foolish to him.

“Right…” he just settled for that, though. The other guy adjusted his equipment and stretched a little.

“See you at the bottom of the hill!” And only when he was at least ten metres away did Rin notice the rest had already gone.

* * *

The guy was really fast, he had to give him that. From above it looked as if he was on ground level, though Rin knew better; he could recognize from years of experience that he was just using gravity and inertia on his side, and he couldn’t help but think the guy was either very brave and experienced to use that technique, or very brave and stupid to use that technique. Unlike the prior races Rin had had, it was very difficult to catch up to him.

* * *

He eventually caught up to him, with lots of crouching and evading random rocks. (Also with the risk of making a snowball out of himself down the hill). And when he did, he had to stop himself from crashing with the reporters and the judges.

He almost fell down when the guy stopped him from crashing into anyone. (No really, he was going  _very_  fast and he had forgotten to slow down in his frenzy to catch up, which was quite unusual, as he was normally rather focused on his surroundings.)

* * *

“Do you wanna grab some hot chocolate? This place  _really_  is freezing,” and only then did Rin realize the guy spoke a rather familiar Japanese.

“Wait, you’re from Japan?” And he also realized it was a rather stupid question to ask when they had been speaking in Japanese for the last ten minutes or so.

The guy giggled. “Of course,” he lifted his eyewear, and suddenly, his fuchsia eyes were even clearer if that was possible. “I actually… remember Matsuoka-kun going to Iwatobi Elementary.”

“What was your name again?” He couldn’t even  _blink_  from shock.

“Hazuki Nagisa, your junior by a year.”

* * *

It took three years of Rin getting to know Nagisa for him to open up enough to tell him the real reason he had joined skiing, besides his family, was hearing in the school about how Matsuoka-kun moving to Switzerland for a season to go pro at skiing, and thinking that even if it was too cold, and a little scary, it could be fun.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm pretty sure there are lots of things that don't make sense, and I guess this is because the only thing I know about skiing is a move. So I apologize in advance for things that look weird.


	22. YouTubers AU

[ **YouTube**

 _Iwatobi Strawberries_  just uploaded a video

Today at 13:51

“now say cheese~ ☆ pengiblog part 37”]

Rin stared at the notification on his smartphone and wondered why the heck was he subscribed to that guy. This was the fifth video that guy had uploaded in the last two days and by the looks of it, his stats were going to be crazy by the numbers of views.

He also wondered how the heck the number of likes and dislikes was bigger than the views… like how was that even possible? Could people just give a thumbs up without even staying for a second?

And how was the guy so happy to talk with a penguin?

Okay okay okay,  _maybe_  that time he posted a video about live blogging for Shark Week had been a really cool thing, and  _maybe_ he had subscribed because, despite how much he hated to be compared to one, he really liked sharks.

And it was kinda nice to see this guy —Nagisa— post about different sea creatures, even if most of the time was his penguin. He remembered idly hearing something about him working for an aquarium.

And so, with the thought in mind that he had literally nothing better to do, he clicked the thumbnail and tried to remember what had happened in the last video.

* * *

One day, he comments.

Not because it’s cool, not because he liked the video, but because it’s so unlike the person he looked like. It was just some black screen with simple, white font, a whole minute explaining why he wouldn’t upload any videos this week. Some family problems and him feeling down.

So he comments a rather simple “I hope you get better. We all support you,”, and tries not to flush over the fact that he was pretty much the first view, first like and first comment, which would make him seem like a fanboy.

And five minutes later, Nagisa replies. “Thanks a lot! :)”

* * *

And one day, he received a private message. One of those that came with latest updates.

He replies, having nothing better to do after relaxing for finals, and quickly finds they have a lot more in common than he thought.

Both from Iwatobi, both in swimming at some point, though Nagisa was strong academically whereas he was a little weaker. And yet, after hearing his whole backstory about his family and disowning him, Rin can’t help but admire the guy who seemed like a little brother, for being so fierce, for smiling.

He wanted to keep that smile forever.

* * *

Their sporadical conversations turned into friendship, and at some point, after Nagisa asks to meet, they hang out, and again, and again, and after Sousuke'made one too many jokes, his sister’s told him one too many remarks, and practically  _everyone_  was cheering out for them, they date. At their own pace, and Rin is quite glad that other than the occasional kisses and cuddling, it’s pretty much like a friendship.

* * *

[ **YouTube**

 _Iwatobi Strawberries_  just uploaded a video

Today at 12:41

“everyone!!! meet rinrin!!! ~ ☆ pengisameblog pt 1”]


	23. Heist AU

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i pretty much only overlooked what heist was, and i kinda adapted it into an idea i’ve had for quite some time. one with yakuza!nagisa and cop!rin. i know it doesn’t make a lot of sense, and by this point i’m thinking it might never see the light, so here’s its chance to shine a little. :’^)
> 
> warning for character death.

By the time they reached an ‘end of the road’ sign, Rin could still feel his blood pumping in gallons from adrenaline. The chilling in his spine, the ragged breathing, the sweat beading on his forehead. He couldn’t believe it, he was really close to catching the leader of Iwatobi.

And with the thought that Nagisa would be really proud of him when he saw him on the news made him continue despite the slight sting on the right part of his torso. He reached a hand up to silence the siren, then grabbed the walkie-talkie. “Got ‘im grounded, requesting reinforcements, do you copy?” He was pretty confident he could hold the guy for a couple of minutes, but not do the whole work. He had learned from hard experience that relying on others wasn’t bad.

He tensed and got into position when he saw the guy do so too, the pilot door opening violently, trembling hands grabbing the gun and loading it.

That was his cue.

Quickly and pretty aware of his surroundings, he got down from the vehicle and ran the couple of feet he was away from his prey. Because that’s what the guy looked like at that moment, trembling and… wait.

“Go ahead, Rinrin, shoot. I won’t blame you.” His voice, as opposed to his body, sounded pretty grounded. The gun he was holding hit the ground, and since it didn’t shoot itself, he could just assume Nagisa had left the safety button pressed. “What’s wrong?” he wasn’t able to turn around, because if he did and looked into the confused- no,  _betrayed_  expression of his childhood crush, he knew he’d tumble and kiss him one last time; he had been selfish enough as it was, with them having dated like normal people for the last couple of months. Surely a kiss before a bullet wasn’t good for the last memory. So this would have to do.

“You… you can’t… be…?” he lowered his gun, and stared at him, dejected face and sagged shoulders. “I… had… I would’ve noticed…”

And Nagisa chuckled. “You wouldn’t have. Because I didn’t intend you to.” He kicked some pebbles and got out of the car, slamming the door after. “But apparently, some of my men betrayed me, and now I’m kinda stuck here.” He said it like it was a joke, like he could actually get out of there unscathed.

“Why would you even do this?”

Nagisa shrugged. “My dad was the leader, it was only natural I was passed down as the next one.” He sat amongst the debris, he hated this. They were supposed to be finishing the street repairing, and now because of the retarding, he had to get pebbles stuck on his ass.

He lifted his gaze a couple of minutes later when his ears caught the distant sound of a siren wailing. He got up again and brushed the dirt from his clothes. Then neared Rin. He grabbed both his hands and held them. He chuckled again, though this time with fondness. “It’s funny that despite having done a lot more physical work than you, my hands are still softer.” He remembered Rin complaining about it at some point, and something about stereotypes regarding homosexual couples.

“You’re still not ‘the girl’ in our relationship.” Nagisa nodded, and Rin could see his tear-stained eyes. He wanted to reach out, he really wanted to.

“If you shoot me now they won’t go after you,” Nagisa offered, and his voice seemed like a wail. He didn’t want to die, but he didn’t want to endanger his loved ones further. Funny thing how Rin didn’t want to kill him either.

And so he shook his head, denying the only wish of Nagisa he couldn’t fulfill. Had it been candies, or a buffet dinner, or that one really cute arcade toy he had pleaded for  _hours_  to get; those he could get him. This; ending his life, he could not.

And Nagisa caught hang of this, so he grabbed with both his hands the one with the weapon, and placed the barrel near his head. “Marry Aki-chan, she’s a really nice person and loves you tons. She’ll be the pretty wife your parents wanted for you, and that I couldn’t be.

“And Rinrin?”

“Yeah?”

“I love you.”

The rest of the cops hurried when they heard the gunshot, but when they arrived, they only found cop Matsuoka mourning over a blonde kid’s corpse.


	24. Magical Realism AU

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> again only overlooked the topic. orz.

Rin was no idiot. Due to the open-minded way his mother had raised him with, he was pretty convinced that magic was something he could recognize a mile away.

And he first saw it in Nanase, that boy that seemed to communicate with water, that boy that seemed to  _live_  with water; and he just felt  _pulled in_  with his brilliance, the elegant way his arms submerged in the water and just pulled it with him. And it might sound a little selfish and childish, but he wanted to have a little bit of that magic too, to truly be connected with someone thanks to a common interest and a desire to  _feel_  it.

Because he felt too much, and at the time, he didn’t realize it.

He also saw magic in Tachibana; his olive eyes, the way he felt fear every day and yet made an effort because that thing he feared he also had come to love. He saw the magic of patience, that soothing energy he seemed to give everyone with some careful words.

He didn’t see magic in Nagisa, for some reason. Maybe it had been because the little guy only gave him annoyance, or because he was so persistent. And maybe he tried to deny it when those wide, clear eyes just  _pulled_  him into being with him. Because he still didn’t see any magic in the little brother.

He didn’t see it when Nagisa won the tryouts for fifth-graders. It was just beginner’s luck, he told himself.

(But he didn’t tell anyone he saw it in the fond look Nanase gave him when Nagisa assured him he’d be on the same team as Nanase.)

He didn’t acknowledge it when he discovered that monster-like speed gain he does, because that crippling fear, and the feeling that hands were pulling him back were only that, right? Illusions.

* * *

He didn’t acknowledge the magic in the way Nagisa’s letter made him stand his first lonely, hard week in Australia. The way it made him  _believe_  he could go big and not have to go home.

He didn’t acknowledge it in the way Nagisa always wrote his Japanese address and his mother had to forward it to him. Nor in the hyped text that was so like him. He didn’t want to acknowledge the dorky grin he wore when replies arrived.

He only wished Nagisa’s magic would have reached him faster and harder.

Because that one letter he didn’t reply to (nor the next one, nor the one after that one, or the one after), was the last of magic he saw for the next couple of years.

And he felt his life so lifeless.

* * *

When he came back, he no longer saw magic.

Haru no longer seemed to be that connected to magic. He didn’t seem to even _like_  it anymore. And whereas Makoto’s mother-hen aura had been so sparkly and soothing before, it only made him annoyed. Gosh, did he not know when something wasn’t of his business?

And then there was Nagisa. Persistent as ever. He was still the same annoying little brother he remembered. Following him around, adding childish suffixes to his name, and whoever gave him the right to call him ‘Rinrin’? Only one person had the privilege, and one alone.

* * *

He wanted to just give it up when he realized he had a roommate like Nitori.

A weird combination of Nagisa and Makoto, if someone asked him. Just as annoying and twice as prying. Oh, did he mention he was the messiest person in Japan?

He didn’t notice the magical way his admiration for Matsuoka-senpai made him push further. Or his gentleness. Or just… the magic there was in being human.

* * *

Surprisingly enough, he saw magic again in Nagisa.

He had heard from Gou about how he had been the to go to Iwatobi High just to find Makoto and Haruka, about how he had to board the train to the other side of the city, about how there were times he just  _slept_  in class because he was pushing himself to his limit.

And on the relay, with Haruka’s hand reaching out to him, Makoto’s soothing aura and his reassurance that it was alright; through Nagisa’s wide, clear eyes, he saw a sight he would never forget.

And there was magic again, in each and all person he ever encountered in his life, a small spark there or a quirk they all seemed to have.

And when Nagisa cheered for ‘Rinrin!’ again, he felt so light he might as well float. His bubbly nature, his willingness to help someone before himself, his all in general.

Rin saw [little magic](https://princesandromeda.tumblr.com/post/161464036381/amandaseales-curiouscarson-toocutetopay).

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [soñando con lo que podría ser (y si terminaré feliz)](https://archiveofourown.org/works/15247740) by [Princess_andromeda](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Princess_andromeda/pseuds/Princess_andromeda)




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